Vane Seal Assembly for Thermal Expansion and Air Leakage

The seal includes multiple fingers that can flex and deform to accommodate thermal expansion mismatches between the seal and collar projection. The fingers are configured to contact the collar projection at multiple discrete contact points rather than a continuous surface, allowing the seal to maintain contact while flexing during thermal cycles. This flexibility prevents abrasion and maintains sealing effectiveness over time.

The seal is divided into multiple separate fingers instead of a single continuous sealing element. Each finger independently contacts the collar projection at discrete points, allowing differential thermal expansion of each finger without compromising the overall seal. The segmented structure reduces stress concentration and prevents abrasion by distributing contact forces across multiple points.

The seal is divided into multiple separate fingers that contact the collar projection at discrete points rather than a continuous surface. This segmentation reduces the total contact area and distributes the biasing force across multiple points, minimizing abrasion on the collar projection while maintaining effective sealing contact.

The seal fingers are designed to be flexible, allowing them to conform to the collar projection surface while maintaining light contact pressure. The flexibility enables the seal to achieve sealing contact without requiring high biasing forces, thereby reducing abrasion. The fingers can flex to accommodate surface irregularities and thermal expansion without increasing contact stress.

The seal incorporates flexible fingers that can deform to accommodate thermal expansion mismatches between the seal and the collar projection. This flexibility is achieved through the finger geometry and material selection, allowing the seal to maintain contact during thermal cycles without complex mechanical compensation mechanisms, keeping the design relatively simple to manufacture.

The seal transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic flexible structure that can adapt its shape in response to thermal expansion. The fingers are designed with appropriate flexibility to move and conform during operation, allowing the seal to maintain effectiveness under varying thermal conditions while remaining manufacturable using standard techniques.